


Some Call It Kismet

by onewomanshow



Series: By Kismet or Happenstance [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Complete, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Love, One Shot, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24415618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onewomanshow/pseuds/onewomanshow
Summary: When Katara was 15, a fortuneteller told her that she would have a great romance with a powerful bender. So it made sense for her to be with Aang, right?
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Izumi & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & The Gaang (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: By Kismet or Happenstance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764538
Comments: 21
Kudos: 372





	Some Call It Kismet

**Author's Note:**

> It has been a very, very long time since I've written freely. Since being in college and starting graduate school, my brain has been wired for academic writing. The first year of my Master's program is finally over - woot woot! and I decided that I would use my newfound free time to get back into some of my passions. ATLA is one of my favorite shows, ever and even though I love Aang with all my heart, Zuko and Katara were meant to be together and in my head, they are, and thus, this was born. Please leave comments if you want. Any and all criticism is welcome. <3

When Katara was 15, a fortuneteller told her that she would have a great romance with a powerful bender. So, it made sense for her to be with Aang, right? Afterall, he was the Avatar, the most powerful bender in existence, master of all four elements, and lost hero of the free world – the one who is supposed to take down the tyrannical Fire Lord Ozai.

But Katara is 16 when the dust from the war finally settles – Zuko has been crowned Fire Lord and shows great tenacity in undoing 100 years of mass destruction and rebuilding not only his nation, but the ones his country played a role in devastating. He is supposed to be her enemy and for a very, long time, he was - but a lot can and has changed within the past year. People change and feelings do too, so that's why she’s been so confused.

Katara is 17 going on 18 when she realizes the relationship isn’t working between them. After a year of following Aang around the world, she just doesn’t feel the same way about him anymore. Part of her wonders if she ever did. She likes him, loves him even, but not in the way that he loves her. And she knows that the Avatar supposedly only falls in love once but damn it, she isn’t the Avatar and she is tired of just being his girlfriend, as if she isn't a waterbending master, the first and sole surviving female. She is tired of having to mother him. And most importantly, she is tired of having to shrink parts of who she is to please him.

So after a “we need to talk”, heartache, and several tears later (she cried too, because breakups, regardless of if the person doing the breaking up wanted to or not, hurt and it hurt her that Aang was upset because even though she didn’t want to be with him, he was still a friend), she decides to follow her heart and stay in the Fire Nation.

Katara is 19 when Zuko finally works up the courage to properly court her. The hand holding in the hallway when they thought no one else was around as he walked her to her private chambers (Katara decided to take Zuko up on his offer of being Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe, which meant she lived semi-permanently at the palace), midnight sparring sessions that turned into romps in the courtyard, and shared inside looks from across the room during meetings was starting to not be enough.

It didn’t help that Uncle Iroh was a blabbermouth and accidentally (or purposely, you can never really tell with him) said “My nephew, Lord Zuko, may already have someone in mind” when the Fire Sages and advisors brought up scouting for a suitable bride.

Katara is 21 when they marry and what a grand occasion it is – the entire Gaang is in attendance and it’s the first time in a long time that they’ve all been together without having to discuss boring politics and legal affairs. Both Sokka and Hakoda walk her down the aisle and Aang is Zuko’s Best Man.

Apparently, Zuko asked him for his blessing to marry Katara as well – not that he needed it, but considering both of them are powerful political figures, he figured it would be in both of their best interests that they don’t cause an international incident. He could see the headlines now “The Once Banished Prince Stole the Avatar’s Girl”.

During the reception, Aang gives his speech and it makes Katara cry – he thanks her for teaching him that just because two people love each other, that doesn’t mean they should be together, because with love comes understanding – and “You and Zuko just get each other”. Later on, when they’re dancing together, he tells her that she was right all along - that he loves her and always will, but he wasn’t _in_ love with her. He's matured a lot since their breakup and she knows he will make some girl really happy. Aang then asks her for advice on how to properly court someone and she jokes that Zuko will be his best man at his wedding in the near future.

Katara is 23 watching as her husband makes firebirds and dragons for their daughter as a part of her bedtime story routine. She notices the twinkle in Izumi’s eyes and the dimples in her cheeks as she giggles and claps “again, again”.

It is then she realizes that Aunt Wu was right, she _did_ marry a powerful bender.


End file.
